Everlasting Bonds
by gooeystar83
Summary: Something stirred between them as soon as he entered the meeting room... Two-shot. Based five years after the Quincy Blood War.
1. Part One

**Inspired by some of the events in chapter 685. My own version of the ending of Bleach. Two-shot.**

 ** _Note:_ I decided to shorten the time-skip to 5 years instead of 10.**

* * *

Rukia stood before the double doors inside the meeting room.

After all her hard work, training, showing integrity, responsibility, and being capable of leadership, she was now being pronounced the new captain of the 13th Division.

Her former captain, Juushiro Ukitake, had become the new Soul King after the Thousand-Year Blood War five years ago. Before he had left to Soul Palace, he had entrusted Rukia his division, telling her that he _knew_ she would someday become its captain. Touched by his words, the raven-haired woman had formed the resolve to work harder in order to keep the division moving forward, all while training to become stronger.

Rukia took in a small breath. As she stood a distance from the new Captain-Commander, Shunsui Kyoraku, she took a quick glance around the meeting room. Her eyes locked with her older brother's, who only gave her a subtle smile before calmly closing his eyes. Her childhood friend's earlier teasing and her brother's smile made her feel a bit more at ease, though she still felt her heart beating fast.

As she turned her gaze back to the front, she realized that besides Captain Kurotsuchi, someone else was not in the meeting room.

* * *

The sun was high up in the sky, shining over Soul Society.

He ran as fast as he could, passing Soul Reapers up like a blur.

Everyone he passed couldn't help but stare at him in astonishment, some even stopping what they were doing.

"Is...that-?"

"He's back!"

He could care less what anyone was saying. He knew he was running late, but he had been- Wait, _running_?

 _Geez, I'm so dumb..._

He let out a quiet grunt of irritation as he flash-stepped towards his destination.

* * *

It was official now.

Rukia Kuchiki was now the new captain of the 13th Division.

Those present began calmly clapping in unison, a few with small smiles on their faces - the biggest one being from Rukia's childhood friend, Renji Abarai.

Normally, lieutenants (except for the 1st Division lieutenant) and lower ranking Soul Reapers weren't allowed in the captains' meeting room, but as this was Rukia's special day, she was told she could invite at least one other person; and as Renji was almost like a brother to her, well, the choice wasn't that hard.

As Rukia stood there modestly taking in everyone's congratulations, the huge double doors of the entrance burst open.

All attention quickly diverted to the disturbance - which was mostly expected. They had already sensed his reiatsu only seconds prior.

Ichigo Kurosaki stood at the entrance, breathing somewhat heavily.

His chestnut-colored eyes immediately locked with indigo ones, and his breath quietly hitched.

Rukia Kuchiki stood there before him, her body halfway turned in his direction.

His eyes subconsciously drank her in. He noticed her midnight hair had grown down to her back; which made her look more...feminine. Unlike before, she was no longer wearing a lieutenant's badge, but a white captain's haori over her black uniform.

"Ru-...ki-..."

Ichigo's eyes stayed fixed on her, his lips slightly parted. And no one said a word. It was as if time had stopped.

As it was, Rukia had to admit she felt taken aback by the situation. She hadn't seen Ichigo in almost three years.

After the war against the Quincies, Ichigo had been recommended (or more like, _ordered_ ) to stay in Soul Society for a time so he could recover, the matter concerning not only his injuries.

Due to the larger amount of reiatsu that he now possessed, Captain-Commander Kyoraku had informed Ichigo that in his state, he could not return to the Living World - unless he got some _proper_ Soul Reaper training. He'd been warned that his reiatsu could affect more living people - as was already the case with his sisters and hometown friends - if he didn't learn to control it.

Of course, Ichigo didn't want that. He didn't want to put more innocent people in possible danger. And so, he had accepted to get the required training, which mainly consisted of reiatsu control, some basic kido, and zanpakuto communication. The latter had to be postponed for a few days, however, since the young man's true zanpakuto had to get reforged in Soul Palace by the creator of zanpakutos, Oetsu Nimaiya, who, with the rest of the Royal Guard, had needed some time to recover from the war.

For the first three months after said war, Ichigo had recovered and began his daily and scheduled training, led by captains appointed by Kyoraku and some Spiritual Arts Academy instructors (who had been more than honored to be tutoring _the_ Ichigo Kurosaki).

During this time, Rukia didn't get to see him that often, as reconstruction of the Seireitei had become the top priority of all the divisions.

After about a month more of laborious training, Kyoraku had informed Ichigo he had enough control of his power to return to Karakura Town, as his hard work and determination had paid off.

However, as powerful as he was, Ichigo had to get a Limiter - the seal on reiatsu all the captains and lieutenants of the Gotei 13 had to activate when stepping foot into the Living World. Since there were still a few things he hadn't had a full grasp on, especially the kido stuff, he had to accept. And as the Limiter had to resemble the symbol of one's designated division, and the Substitute Soul Reaper obviously did not belong to one, the Captain-Commander had decided to give him the 1st Division's.

Moreover, Kyoraku had asked Ichigo if he would like to become the assigned Soul Reaper of Karakura Town (since he had known Ichigo wouldn't just stand by if someone was in danger). Or, if not, there was always someone else they could assign. Having become taken aback, Ichigo had given a small grin and responded that he didn't mind.

Before he departed, he and Rukia had bade their farewells to each other (or more like, their "see you later's") as they knew they would see each other again.

Once he had returned to Karakura Town, the Kurosaki had taken about a week or two in settling back to his ordinary life - well, as ordinary as it had ever been. He had decided to focus on catching up on his schoolwork and exams in order to finish high school, as he was very behind and graduation was right around the corner.

A few weeks later, when it was finally all over, he'd managed to make a few visits to Soul Society with a Soul Ticket given to him by the Captain-Commander; with it, going through the Senkaimon became much easier and less dangerous than having to go through the eccentric Kisuke Urahara's illegal gate, where passage involved the life-threatening Dangai.

The Kurosaki had occasionally helped out with anything he had been allowed to for the reconstruction, but everyone had often told him he had done enough with saving Soul Society in the last war, and that they could take it from there. Everyone had wanted to give the boy a break.

So whenever he had some spare time during those occasions, he would visit Rukia in her division.

However, that had been short-lived, as Rukia soon became much busier with the Seireitei's reconstruction, combined paperwork and such of both lieutenant and captain, and her own training, so visiting Ichigo in the Living World wasn't something she really had time for.

Ichigo hadn't wanted to distract Rukia from her duties, so not too long after, he became busy as well; he'd entered a community college (suggested by his father, though he wasn't all that interested) and started working part-time again with his former employer Ikumi Unagiya, who had managed to buy a better building and hired more employees to make her small, odd-jobs business bigger. The plan had been that once he graduated college, the Kurosaki would have managed to save enough money to move out of his house into a small, nice apartment, like he had been planning for weeks before the war broke out.

As things were, it took about two years to fully reconstruct the Seireitei. To celebrate everyone's hard work, Captain-Commander Kyoraku had announced a week-long celebration and break for everyone. During this time of festivity, Rukia had decided to pay Ichigo a visit in the Living World.

She had wanted to surprise him, so having made sure he was in his room, Rukia had slipped in through his window. The Kurosaki had been surprised and shocked, but nevertheless, the contentedness had been obvious in his eyes. She had filled him in on the latest news in Soul Society, and having been found out by Yuzu, one of Ichigo's sisters, she'd been invited to stay for dinner. The Kuchiki had departed the next day, and Ichigo had decided he could pay a few visits to Soul Society now that things had finally settled down.

Everything had seemed fine and all, however, that had only lasted a few months, as the amounts of paperwork of both lieutenant and captain had once again resumed their original amounts (because of the reconstruction, the paperwork had been slightly lessened for everyone), and Rukia had started to dedicate a little more time to her training. She also hadn't wanted to take away too much of his time, since it seemed he was already making a life for himself in the Living World, and Ichigo hadn't wanted to further distract Rukia from her duties. Not that he only visited _her_ , but...

The next two years and a half that followed were mostly consumed by Ichigo's and Rukia's busy states. Of course, on occasions, the two of them made contact through Hell Butterflies, but it just wasn't the same as speaking face to face.

When Rukia broke out of her brief reminiscence, she began to notice Ichigo's appearance.

His hair had gotten slightly longer, but still looked mostly the same as before, and his features were a bit sharper. He was wearing his true zanpakuto on his back, which consisted of two blades. And anyone could tell he was as fit as always.

When her eyes slid back to his, she realized his focus was still on her. _Only_ on her.

He wore the same expression he always did every time they reunited after long periods of time. But, for some reason, this time...it was slightly different from before. His eyes held something more...deep in them. It was...something close to... _longing_?

Rukia's lips parted slightly, her eyes not leaving the man's before her. _Huh-_

Then she heard a quiet shuffle somewhere behind her, and the sudden, unexpected spell that had her bound, broke.

The raven-haired woman blinked and took a small breath as she remembered there were other people present.

As she composed herself, she let herself admit that what just happened was...strange. There had been a few times in the past where Ichigo and her would gaze at each other, but not like...just now. She didn't even know when she had turned to face him fully either...

The adrenaline from the excitement of having become a captain, must've made her somehow hallucinate, for her to have thought she saw something close to _longing_ in Ichigo's eyes directed at _her_. They hadn't seen each other in almost three years, so of course the guy would be, well, content to see her, and she was definitely content to see him again herself... That should be enough explanation for that exchange.

Rukia lightly pursed her lips and looked at Ichigo again.

He was still looking at her as if it was just the two of them. _Fool_ , she thought warmly, and gave him a small smile.

"Ichigo."

As he blinked and let his lips part a bit more, said young man seemed to have come back to his senses. Fully realizing she had called to him, he returned Rukia's smile with a boyish one, his eyes looking genuinely happy.

"Hey, Rukia."

"It's been a while... Didn't think you'd come." The raven-haired woman calmly turned her head a bit to the side and closed her eyes, the small smile still on her lips. "Well, I didn't think you'd remember, as I sent you a message about my promotion three months ago."

Ichigo raised his chin and gave her an indignant look. "Of course I'd remember! My memory isn't _that_ bad. I knew how important this day would be for you!"

"He only remembered 'cause I sent him a Hell Butterfly two weeks ago," chimed in a male voice from inside the room. Ichigo and Rukia's attention turned to the voice; it was Renji. He was casually walking up to them with a smirk, crossing his arms over his chest as he stopped beside them.

Rukia couldn't help but feel surprised at his comment. When she had been told she could invite one other person to her promotion ceremony, the first one that had crossed her mind...was Ichigo.

Not wanting to bother him if he was busy, she had only informed him of her promotion, and about a month later, decided to invite Renji instead. Even so, deep down, she had the small hope that Ichigo would be present when she entered the meeting room. She didn't suspect (she _should've_ , knowing his recklessness) he would actually barge in here, but go figure.

But back to the matter at hand, she had no idea that Renji had actually sent a message to Ichigo to "remind" him of her promotion. Why...? She didn't even tell him she originally meant to invite the orange-haired man... Did he somehow know, though? ...If he did...

 _Why would he...about Ichigo...?_

The Kurosaki soon interrupted her confused thoughts.

His contentment at seeing his old red-haired friend again was brief, as he suddenly realized what Renji had said, and retorted, "Hey, that's not true! I _knew_ about Rukia's ceremony beforehand! I simply forgot to-"

He stopped himself abruptly, quietly cleared his throat, and looked away in a rather suspicious manner.

Rukia raised an eyebrow. She had no idea what he was talking about, but decided to leave it at that. Renji simply kept smirking at his orange-haired friend.

In that small, quiet instant, the lively Captain-Commander piped in, "Hey, it's so nice that you dropped by, Ichigo-kun! I somewhat sensed your reiatsu, but you've gotten _so_ _much_ better in being able to control it! That little training we gave you sure did the trick!"

He chuckled. "Not to mention it became much easier for you when you gained your ultimate bankai and had all your reiatsu finally balanced... Ah, enough of the prattle!" He extended his palm out a bit, gesturing to the young woman standing a few feet away. "As you can see, Rukia-chan is now officially a captain."

Kyoraku had decided to take this time to speak up. After all, that little moment between Byakuya Kuchiki's sister and the human boy had been quite... _interesting_ to see, to say the least.

If his eyes weren't deceiving him, he may have to have a serious conversation with a certain, former captain in the near future...

The Substitute Soul Reaper nodded at the older man's words and scratched the back of his head. "Ah, yeah. I've also been doing some training back in town.."

His eyes widened briefly, as if remembering something. He brought his arm back down and looked at Kyoraku with a small frown, two small sweat-drops at his left temple. "Uh, sorry about barging in like that..."

No one present could help feeling surprised at the fact Ichigo Kurosaki had just _apologized_ for _barging_ _in_ somewhere... Well, it _had_ been a few years since the last time they'd seen him, so of course he had to have matured... Somewhat _..._

Kyoraku responded airily, "Nah, it's okay, Ichigo-kun! After all, you gained VIP status here after the last war." He gave him an assuring smile. "Remember, you are always welcome in the Seireitei."

No one could tell his last statement held double meaning.

The young man simply nodded, feeling a sense of gratitude.

The Captain-Commander decided to announce the end of the ceremony at this time. The captains present, including Renji, bowed respectfully.

As the ceremony was officially over, everyone started to simply flash-step out of the meeting room, or make their way out the double doors. Some gave Ichigo small greetings as they passed (one of them being from Kenpachi Zaraki, who only told him with a psycho smile, "Later, Ichigo _._ " It made the Kurosaki sweat-drop, and feel slightly confused over the fact the obvious challenge had been put off for later), while others made short friendly conversation, like his Visored friend, Shinji Hirako.

When nearly everyone had dispersed, said Kurosaki turned his attention back to Rukia, who was now more inside the meeting room. He noticed Byakuya was there as well, speaking to her quietly.

After about a moment, though, he calmly walked away, passing Ichigo up with a small nod in his direction. The orange-haired man gave a small, confused nod back, and thinking no one else was around, headed over to the new captain.

Ichigo noticed a slight blush dusting her cheeks as she stared at the wooden floor, her arms at her sides. He raised an eyebrow as he stopped before her. After about a second or two of no reaction from her, he said her name, trying to grab her attention, now that the two of them were finally, seemingly, alone.

Rukia's blush began to dissipate and she looked up, somewhat startled. Realizing he was right before her, she suppressed a small grin and made a serious expression as she puffed out her chest a little. "It is now Captain Kuchiki, _Kurosaki!_ "

Ichigo's eyes widened in shock. _Huh?!_ In a matter of two seconds, he scoffed and raised his chin defiantly. "As if! I don't even call your brother, Toshiro, or anyone for that matter by their title!" His face inched toward hers. "As if I'd call _you_ Captain!"

Now it was Rukia whose eyes widened in shock. But in an instant, however, she let out a calm, amused huff through her nose, turning her head a bit to the side and closing her eyes. "I know you won't." Opening her eyes, she looked up into those chestnut-colored eyes of his. She let herself smile fully and murmured, "Same old Ichigo."

The young man turned his face away with a small scowl, a light blush forming on his cheeks and a small sneer on his lips. He hadn't expected her to react that way. There was even a sort of warmth in her eyes when she said that...

Suddenly wanting to end this strange, serene moment between them, he racked his brain and remembered something important. "Oh, yeah..."

He turned sideways and gestured his head to the still open double doors. "Come on. There's somewhere I have to take you."

"Huh? To where?" the Kuchiki woman asked.

Ichigo gave a small grin this time. "Just follow me."

[][][][][]

Renji quietly walked out of the meeting room after his two closest friends. They hadn't even noticed he was still there when they'd started their little conversation (did they not sense his reiatsu...? ...Err, even a little bit?), and he wasn't really going to interrupt them anyway.

As he stepped out of the meeting room, he caught sight of said friends to his left walking down the hall next to each other, talking - er, _bickering -_ rather contently.

He didn't realize he'd been just standing there staring at the pair, while the double doors were still open behind him, when he heard a familiar, quiet male voice speak from his right.

"Those two..."

Renji turned his head to his right and saw his captain standing there, his grey eyes observant on the distancing Ichigo and Rukia.

After a few seconds of silence, the lieutenant asked, "Captain?" an eyebrow raised slightly in confusion.

Byakuya closed his eyes and turned in the opposite direction, his robes swishing elegantly, and began pacing away. "I wouldn't be surprised if..."

The red-haired man stood there staring at his captain for a few seconds, but with only silence following after, he turned back around. His two friends were nearly out of sight.

As he gazed at them, an unusual tender smile formed on his lips.

"Yeah..."

* * *

"So what was Byakuya telling you?" Ichigo asked casually as he and Rukia were leaving the 1st Division building. The sun was at its highest in the clear blue sky. "I noticed he went up to you while everyone was leaving the meeting room."

A small blush began forming on Rukia's cheeks as she replied, "Oh..." She placed a light fist on her chest shyly. "Nii-sama simply reminded me to not take too long in returning home. He organized a formal gathering to celebrate my becoming captain..."

Ichigo stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her. "Really?"

Rukia stopped too and nodded, her eyes on the ground. "Yeah..."

The Kurosaki stared at her. _I forgot she has a better relationship with Byakuya...they're more like siblings now.._.

A small, genuine smile formed on his lips. She deserved this; especially after all she'd been through. Not to mention, it was rare to see the feisty girl in such a c-...er, _not_ cute state. Well, it's not like she _was,_ in the first place, but...and...uh...that's not what he meant...

How was he thinking this?!

Annoyed, Ichigo scratched the back of his head and looked to the ground, a frown and a tiny blush on his fine features.

They both stood there, neither realizing that their actions...could be easily misinterpreted. Some Soul Reapers who passed by them even wondered if a romantic confession had just taken place, considering that the hero of Soul Society was scratching his head and looking to the ground, while the new captain of the 13th Division was blushing, had a hand on her chest and was looking down too... Well, yeah...easily misinterpreted...

It wasn't totally impossible, anyway. Everyone knew of their rather close relationship, so it didn't seem unlikely to some that those two might have developed romantic feelings for each other over time. Or that they _would_.

But, it wasn't like anybody was necessarily going to say something about it. It was...kind of taboo; a complicated subject, really. Most especially after the end of the last war, when the whole of Seireitei found out why - and what transpired after - a certain, former captain had to step down from his position a little over twenty years ago. No one really wanted to bring it up.

Oblivious to the curious glances around them, Ichigo peeked up at Rukia while his hand was still on the back of his head. She was still in the same position as a minute ago. Wanting to end this already, the orange-haired man closed his eyes in annoyance, took in a deep breath and exhaled loudly.

"Well, Byakuya's waiting for you, so..." he said casually, putting his arm down.

Rukia finally looked him in the eyes, her hand slowly falling to her side. "Oh, yeah..." she murmured.

Ichigo crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head a little as he looked at her. "Just remember. I still have somewhere I have to take you."

Imitating his position slowly, Rukia asked with a small frown on her face, "...What's this all about?" She didn't know what was up with his sudden change in attitude.

"I'll come for you when your 'formal gathering' is over," he simply replied, before turning around and walking away.

"I don't know when it'll end," the young woman stated at his retreating figure, her arms still crossed over her chest.

The young man stopped and remained like that for a second or two, before looking over his shoulder and giving Rukia an indifferent, but determined look. "Then I'll just have to go crash the party."

Rukia didn't have time to respond as the rebellious man turned his head back to the front, and took a step forward to flash-step away.

She stared at the spot he had left from. Seconds later, she let out a small, amused breath through her nose as she closed her eyes and smiled softly. _Fool..._

"He didn't even let me tell him he was invited."

* * *

"Welcome, Lady Rukia. The guests are already here. Please follow me."

The Kuchiki heiress nodded at the maid and followed her to the spacious banquet room in the Kuchiki Manor.

As the maid opened the sliding door, Rukia's eyes took notice of the elaborate decorations around the room. There were some tea tables aligned near the walls around the room, where several nobles from other clans and some captains of the Gotei 13 were sitting on cushions - either next to or across from each other. They were merrily drinking tea or sake, and chatting and eating away.

Well, 'merrily' would be more fitting to Captain-Commander Kyoraku, who was laughing and already had his cheeks flushed due to drinking some sake.

Others were standing around in groups, having conversations with each other and drinks in hand. Everyone was dressed in formal wear (as in, elegant kimonos), except for the present captains, whose white haoris were enough to show high status.

Before Rukia could even step foot inside, she noticed almost everyone's attention had diverted to her; the maid who opened the door then stood beside her and announced, "Lady Rukia has arrived."

All was silent for a second, when unexpectedly, from a standing group of nobles, Byakuya began to calmly clap as his eyes were on her. The rest of those present began to clap in unison, some giving the new captain small smiles.

Rukia couldn't help but blush.

As the applause died down, Byakuya made his way towards her and gently took her hand in his. "Congratulations, Rukia," he murmured, and gave her one of his small, rare smiles.

His adoptive sister gave him a small nod and shyly looked to the tatami floor, murmuring back, "Thank you, Nii-sama."

A feeling of happiness and gratitude settled in her chest. There wasn't anything more she could ask for. Everything that happened in her life before was to lead it all to this. Being close to her brother, reconciled with her childhood friend Renji, having become stronger and acknowledged by others, and...

Seeing Ichigo again. Talking to him. Knowing - _certain_ now - that no matter what, no matter how much time passed, they'd always be close. They forever shared that bond that never broke.

She just hoped all would remain the way it was.

She didn't think this could get better.

[][][][][]

Rukia sipped some tea. After several nobles had congratulated her for her promotion to captaincy, and had asked her questions about her division (wow, _her_ division...), she had decided to sit down and eat. Once she had finished her meal, she had served herself some more tea, and was content with just that as she relaxed.

As she replayed the earlier moments since her arrival, she recalled a few disdainful looks and comments from a group of noble girls. But at this point in her life, the Kuchiki heiress couldn't care less.

She had gotten used to such lack of reception, ever since she became a part of the Kuchiki Clan almost fifty years ago now. The majority of the other nobles who hadn't been very kind to her at first, had come to respect her (whether genuinely or grudgingly) when she got promoted to lieutenant a few years ago - as their behavior went from haughty looks to polite nods and greetings. Even more so now that she was a captain...

But of course, there were still some that clearly saw her as nothing more than a poor girl from the Rukongai, who got lucky to have been adopted into the Kuchiki Clan. Sometimes, to this day, she'd still hear the gossipers mentioning her older sister in their disdainful comments about her [Rukia].

The raven-haired woman let out a small, inaudible sigh and closed her eyes, taking another sip of her tea.

"Hey, hey, Rukia-chan! Enjoying yourself?"

Said girl looked up to see Captain-Commander Kyoraku sitting across from her on the tea table, a cup of sake in hand and a lazy smile on his lips.

Rukia placed her own cup on the table, her hands on her lap, and bowed her head respectfully. "Yes, sir."

Kyoraku waved his hand airily. "No need for so many formalities! After all, we're at a party! To be specific, _your_ party!"

"Ah, yes, sir." Rukia lifted her head and looked at her superior, her hands still placed on her lap.

The man chuckled and swirled his drink a little in his cup before taking a sip. After gulping the sake down, he looked at her again with a small smile, his usually carefree face turning a bit serious.

"Ukitake would be proud."

A small look of surprise appeared on Rukia's features, her lips parting slightly. She would never have expected him to say something like that. _To her_.

After realizing she was simply staring at him, though, Rukia looked away as a small blush began forming on her cheeks, and quietly responded, "I hope so, sir."

"He must be doing well. His having become the new Soul King surely helped cure his illness," Kyoraku said with another smile, and proceeded to serve himself some more sake. Then, he looked at the young woman with a more joyous expression, going back to his usual demeanor.

"You know, Rukia-chan... That was quite something back there when Ichigo-kun arrived to the meeting room! After all, it's been almost three years since he was last here. I hadn't expected him to come!"

The former captain of the 8th Division leaned forward just a tad, his face turning serious again. "But he did..." he added in a lower voice and slowly glanced at his cup. Then, in the same manner, he lifted his eyes back to the young woman. "...For you."

Kyoraku calmly turned his head to the side and drank from his cup, his intelligent eyes never leaving the Kuchiki heiress.

...What was this unexpected turn in the conversation? Rukia couldn't move. She wasn't exactly sure _what_ he was talking about, but, for some unknown reason to her, she could only stare at her superior, his rare, intense gaze rooting her to the spot.

She could see innumerable years in those eyes of his, making her fully realize just how much older, powerful, and wiser Shunsui Kyoraku was. Now that former Captain-Commander Yamamoto, Captain Ukitake and Captain Unohana weren't in Soul Society anymore - two of them no longer living - this man before her was now the oldest soul in Soul Society.

It was blatantly obvious he knew, or at least _suspected,_ something she didn't.

She tried to form a coherent response when she managed to break out of her trance. "I...I do not understand your...statement, sir." She looked away and bowed her head, her hands becoming slightly tense on her lap.

 _Implication_ sounded like a...strange word right now. _Insinuation_ even stranger. And she didn't know why. She did not understand the situation...

...Did it have to do with Ichigo? Only because he was brought up, this was a strange situation? For once, the guy hadn't done anything - well, him having returned to Soul Society sure was a popular topic of conversation today, if the other nobles talking idly about him earlier was any indication...

Alright. Ichigo Kurosaki was _always_ a popular topic of conversation - she had to admit. But why was the Captain-Commander bringing him up all of a sudden, and to _her,_ at the celebration of her promotion?

 _He's just... The Captain-Commander... He's..._

Though trying to think calmly about this, Rukia could already feel a small bead of sweat on the side of her face. She was frowning slightly.

 _He said Ichigo...came to Soul Society...for me..._

The raven-haired woman closed her eyes.

 _Of course he did. I simply informed him about it and..._

She opened her eyes, still facing her lap. It really was simple. The Captain-Commander was just stating the obvious. There was nothing to it.

 _...But why does it feel like... The look he gave me just now... It's as if...there's something else...something_ more _..._

Another small bead of sweat appeared on her face, Rukia's features forming a slight frown again.

And then she felt it. His _reiatsu._

"There he is..." muttered the brown-haired man before her.

The young woman finally looked up at Kyoraku and noticed a small smile on his lips, his eyes gazing mysteriously at the sake he was swaying in his cup.

She stared at him until she heard the shoji door slide.

Everyone in the spacious room turned their eyes to the new arrival.

Ichigo Kurosaki stood at the entrance of the banquet room, his lips pursed slightly. His eyes quickly traveled to indigo ones.

Even though he could sense the steady beat of her controlled reiatsu, she stood out among the others in the room. It was just like earlier during the promotion ceremony, but this time, the Kuchiki woman was sitting on her knees, her hands placed on her lap. She was a bit of a distance away.

Ichigo gave a boyish grin. "I've come for you, Rukia."

Some guests in the room let out quiet gasps while others remained silent. He didn't seem to mind - or notice, for that matter.

Suddenly, Byakuya Kuchiki was standing a few feet before him. "Ichigo Kurosaki."

Said young man moved his gaze to the 6th Division Captain, his grin taking a more casual turn. "Ah, hey, Byakuya!"

The black-haired man closed his eyes as he heard some nobles gasp quietly and whisper in disbelief at Ichigo's informality. "Still the same as ever, it seems."

He opened his eyes, boring them into the living boy's, and went right down to business. "So. Are you going to keep standing there or are you going to enter like a normal guest?"

Ichigo raised his eyebrows. "Oh..." He stared at Byakuya. "...Really?" He took a few steps inside and the maid behind him slid the shoji door shut.

Standing about three feet away from Byakuya, another casual grin spread on Ichigo's lips. "...Thanks. I thought you were about to go shikai on me for a sec."

Byakuya slightly narrowed his eyes at him. "Why would I? It's not like you barged in like an uninvited guest and declared something uncalled for."

He closed his eyes when he noticed an actual bead of sweat appear on the Kurosaki's face.

 _He actually has the decency to feel embarrassed. Maybe he_ has _changed. A little._

Opening his eyes again, Byakuya turned to walk away and spoke over his shoulder, "As you _were_ invited, make yourself feel welcome... I owe you at least that much." He finished that last part quietly.

Ichigo gave a look of surprise. "I...was?" he said aloud.

But it wasn't Byakuya who responded.

"Yeah, you were. You just simply didn't let me tell you beforehand."

At the new voice, Ichigo turned his head and saw Rukia standing beside him, a small smirk on her lips.

He stared at her for a second or two, then, as if realizing something, he turned his eyes back to Byakuya's retreating form. "Oh, thanks! But, uh, maybe next time! I can't stay - I just came for Rukia!"

The Kuchiki clan leader stopped in his tracks. He just barely looked over his shoulder, his eyes more serious than usual. He stared at the Kurosaki.

 _...How could I mistake something so simple?_

When Ichigo said, "I've come for you, Rukia," Byakuya had misunderstood, thinking Ichigo meant he had come to the formal gathering _because_ of Rukia, not that he had come to _get_ her.

Byakuya turned around fully to face the orange-haired man, his robes swishing dramatically. He flash-stepped towards him in the blink of an eye, stopping about two feet away.

"You came for Rukia?" he muttered.

"Yeah."

Ichigo started feeling Byakuya's rather darkening aura, a small bead of sweat appearing on his temple. He suspected something like this would happen..

"For what purpose?" he demanded quietly, dangerously.

Ichigo briefly pursed his lips. "...I'd rather not say."

As she stood beside him, Rukia could only remain silent. She looked between her brother and Ichigo, not sure if to intervene or not. She wondered what in the world the foolish boy beside her was thinking, barging into her home during a celebration and demanding he'd come to get her. Of course, she knew the moment he had told her he'd "crash the party" that he'd keep his word, but darn him...

She should've given her brother a warning about this reckless moron being likely to present himself in an unexpected manner. It completely passed her mind when the guests had started congratulating her and all.

Before Byakuya could respond, Ichigo added with a small grin, "But don't sweat it. She'll be back just fine."

Rukia had a few beads of sweat on her face as she gazed at Ichigo, then looked at her brother.

Byakuya stared at the Kurosaki for an endless moment, and narrowed his eyes for a second before giving a brief glance to Rukia. Her brows were knitted together in a small, worried expression, her lips parting slightly at their eye contact.

His grey eyes softened a tad, and then closed as he turned back around, his haori swishing elegantly as he began pacing in the opposite direction.

"Make sure she does, _Ichigo Kurosaki_."

Everyone in the room remained silent for a moment, taking in what just transpired.

The Substitute Soul Reaper was at a loss for words. He had thought he'd at least have to deal with a protest, _any_ kind of obstacle, really, just to pick up Rukia. He would have never thought it'd turn out like _this_ \- getting permission from her vigilant brother.

It was unexpected. He turned to look at Rukia, who was staring at her said brother.

She understood the underlying meaning of Byakuya's words: that Ichigo had finally earned enough respect - and _trust_ \- from him.

Before the oblivious Kurosaki could say anything to the woman beside him, a male voice spoke up in a frivolous tone, "Well, this is a party, ain't it? So let's continue the fun!"

People looked over at the Captain-Commander, who had a joyful smile on his lips, and lifted his sake cup in a toast before taking a large gulp. Soon after, everyone present began to converse like normal, though all anyone could talk about was the scene that had just transpired when the living boy arrived.

Ichigo turned back to Rukia and grinned. "Well, let's go."

She looked up at him for a few seconds and shook her head slowly as her eyes remained on his. "You...never change, do you?" A small smile spread on her lips.

Ichigo turned away as he sneered a bit. "Whatever. Come on. Follow me." He walked over to the shoji door and slid it open. But, instead of walking out, he stood beside it, not looking at her.

Rukia stared at him for three full seconds before realizing he was letting her go first. She stepped out the door. _That was gentlemanly of him.._

As she did so, she heard some noble girl hiss to someone, "Why is _she_ close with all the handsome guys?"

She was pretty sure that comment was about her.

As a bead of sweat fell down the side of her face, she glanced at Ichigo, who seemed completely oblivious. He was looking ahead as he fell in step beside her and began walking down the hall to their left.

As they walked down the dimly lit hall, Rukia stared at his profile. She noticed he had a smooth, strong jawline, and the pale yellow lanterns on the walls gave his orange hair a small glow. He didn't seem to notice.

Rukia looked away and closed her eyes.

She had to admit the man beside her wasn't bad to look at.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Rukia inquired of Ichigo, as she noticed they were walking towards the West Gate. "Now that I think about it, I've been sort of following your lead as if you know your way around the Seireitei..."

"You'll see," he replied simply, looking on ahead.

The girl raised an eyebrow, but continued to walk beside him until they stopped before the gate, which began to get lifted by the giant gatekeeper.

"Thanks, Jidanbo," Ichigo thanked his old acquaintance, giving him a brief grin.

"No problem!" boomed the large man happily.

He then turned his eyes to the captain at Ichigo's side, and gave her only a small, but polite nod. He still didn't like Soul Reapers very much, other than his friend Toshiro Hitsugaya, but he figured that if this young lady was well-acquainted with his human friend (and knowing she was the sole reason why Ichigo and his nice friends even came to Soul Society in the first place)...she couldn't be that bad.

After taking a few steps out into the Rukongai, Ichigo realized that his smaller companion wasn't by his side. He turned around and saw her hesitantly standing on the other side of the open gate, looking at him in confusion.

He gave her an assuring smile. "I know what I'm doing, Rukia. Just come with me."

She nodded and made her way towards him before he resumed walking, her following suit.

The sun was already beginning to set, and Rukia took notice of the paper lanterns being lit up in the First District. Some people were dressed in summer yukatas and vendors began setting up stands for snacks and miscellaneous. It seemed there was going to be a festival of some sort. Rukia briefly remembered hearing some members of her division saying they were going to "party in the First District" or something like that. This must've been what they were talking about.

She suddenly wondered if this was where Ichigo wanted to bring her. She decided to make sure. "Really, Ichigo, _where_ are we going? We already left the Seireitei." The young woman glanced up at him and raised an eyebrow yet again.

Ichigo, only a step ahead of her, suddenly stopped walking. "You're coming with me whether you want to or not," he responded in annoyance without giving her a glance.

He suddenly whirled on her, pointing a finger. "I'm ignoring all your questions! You're to only follow my lead! Got it?!"

Rukia's eyes widened in shock, a few beads of sweat forming on her face. "Wh-Wh- Huh?"

 _Wh-?!_

The situation was similar to when Ichigo first came to rescue her on the bridge of the security prison a few years ago.

Ichigo then faced forward again with an annoyed scowl on his face and resumed walking - well, kind of stomping.

What?! Why was he being like this? What was up with him? Rukia pursed her lips. _Darn him..._

Maybe the place-to-be was deeper into the district. She exhaled softly through her nose. Guess she'd just have to suck it up for now and maybe give him a good kick on the shin later for being so annoyingly mysterious.

As she continued to follow him down the street, she began to take notice of the amount of people staring at them.

Of course, two Soul Reapers casually walking around the Rukongai, it was no wonder (plus, Ichigo's little outburst must've startled them); but this time, the people seemed more curious than bothered (the latter being the usual when they'd see those who lived in the richest part of Soul Society). Some were muttering, and unintentionally, the Kuchiki woman managed to catch a few certain things being said:

"It's that living boy! And a captain!"

"Isn't she that girl who was going to get executed some years ago?"

"Yeah, and it's the reason why that boy came here in the first place. I was here when it happened..."

"I heard she came from one of the _poorest_ districts in the South..."

"Are they _dating?_ "

The new captain stopped abruptly in her steps.

The comments about her past didn't bother her anymore - she got used to most of them back in her academy days and early Kuchiki years.

But that comment just now... She was aware of the meaning of that last word. Some years ago, she had been vaguely familiar with it, practically clueless, but...now...thanks to a meeting of the Shinigami Women's Association about a year ago or so, where some of the other women decided to start a conversation about _romance_... Well, she gained a little more knowledge about the concept.

 _Why would they think...that-_

"Rukia?"

Said girl snapped out of her train of thought and looked in the direction of the voice. Ichigo was standing a few feet ahead, facing her.

The young woman didn't realize she was wearing a small, confused frown on her face and some beads of sweat were on her forehead.

 _Dating? Ichigo and..._

She took in a calm breath through her nose and closed her eyes, trying to compose herself.

 _Something like that...it's..._

She suddenly felt an ever familiar presence about a foot away from her. She opened her eyes and looked up to see Ichigo right before her, slight concern evident on his features.

"You okay, Rukia?" he asked, his eyebrow raised.

"Yes," she replied, but strangely couldn't keep her gaze steady on his.

She looked ahead, letting out an inaudible, small breath through her nose. "Sorry for holding you back. Shall we continue?"

The man before her only raised both his brows in confusion, but nonetheless turned around and resumed walking towards their destination.

"They're clearly dating."

Rukia closed her eyes and tried to block out any more weird comments from the residents of the Rukongai.

* * *

The sun was nearly out of sight as the two Soul Reapers walked down a quiet street.

Rukia had become more confused as they journeyed farther away from the festive gathering that was already taking place in the First District. Why was Ichigo taking her to the outskirts of town? To _where_?

She glanced at him, but he only seemed calm and relaxed as he continued to pace forward. _Pace_. That's exactly what they had been doing this whole time. It was as if Ichigo was purposely taking his sweet time.

Rukia looked away and sighed inaudibly. Just as she realized they were now walking on grass, Ichigo stopped and grinned.

"There it is."

The Kuchiki woman quickly followed Ichigo's gaze. At first, she couldn't see anything clearly, but as she focused, she caught sight of a strange-looking house in the distance.

It was the Shiba home.

Rukia looked up at Ichigo, her lips slightly parted. She couldn't form any words at that moment. _What..._

The orange-haired man glanced at her and lifted a small corner of his lips. "You coming?" Then before she could respond, Ichigo flash-stepped towards the house. He appeared almost at the entrance.

 _Why..._

Rukia stood there, staring at his distant form, waiting for her.

She didn't know what were his reasons for bringing her here. To the Shiba house. She hadn't been anywhere near it since she finally gained the courage to make amends with the family.

Of course, she also knew it wasn't strange for him to be going there. After all, Ichigo _Kurosaki_...was a Shiba.

Not knowing why he brought _her_ here, she formed the resolve to follow him. Rukia flash-stepped towards the eccentric home, appearing next to the man waiting for her. He gave her a brief, assuring grin, being aware of her discomfort, and she let out a small grin back. Then, they headed over to the entrance and stopped before it.

The two gatekeepers were nowhere in sight. Rukia tried to calm down her nerves as she waited for Ichigo to knock on the door. Instead, however, the man placed a hand casually behind his neck, slightly rubbing it with his fingers, and gazed at the door with furrowed eyebrows.

"Uh, Rukia...thanks for coming."

The young woman glanced at him. "...Yeah. But, why..." She let her question fade.

Ichigo let out a deep, almost annoyed breath, as if readying himself for something, and put his hand down. "You'll see." He reached out and knocked on the door.

Rukia braced herself. She didn't have anything to worry about, but even so, she couldn't help feeling a little nervous about visiting the Shibas. Lightly gripping the sides of her uniform, she stared at the door.

A scuffling was heard inside. A muffled shout. Running footsteps.

Rukia was beginning to sweat-drop.

The running stopped and the door opened as a head poked out.

"Ha, until you finally showed up!"

Rukia's eyes widened.

Sensing the reiatsu of those inside the Shiba house was somehow difficult, nearly impossible. A Hollow could be in there and no one in Seireitei would sense it. Maybe it was something new they added?

So, she couldn't have expected...

For Karin Kurosaki to open the door.

* * *

 **So here's the first part! I hope you enjoyed it.**

 **Of course, I didn't try explaining things like how exactly the war ended & such, because none of us would know how that would have truly turned out, what with all the complexities, so I avoided giving such details. Other than that, I will provide my hopefully understandable explanations of other things ;)**

 **BTW, sorry if I use both English & Japanese terms here, I sometimes prefer some over others, etc.**


	2. Part Two

**So here it is...the last chapter of this two-shot!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Rukia stood there, feeling genuinely surprised.

Karin turned her gaze to her. She gave a small, lazy grin and opened the door more widely, placing a hand at her waist. "Hey, you look pretty good, Rukia-chan!"

Feeling even more genuinely surprised by the unexpected compliment from Karin, who had always been the most distant from her out of the Kurosaki family, a small blush formed on the Kuchiki's cheeks, and she straightened her back a little more. "Th-Thank you! You too, Karin!"

It had honestly been a few years since the last time she'd seen the younger girl, who no longer looked like a small tomboy; now she was a beautiful young woman, taller than herself. She was currently clad in a simple white blouse, white shorts and socks, while her raven hair was tied up in a high ponytail. How old was she now...about eighteen years old?

A subtle smirk formed on Karin's lips. "I know." Then she turned her gaze back to her brother, who was awkwardly scratching the back of his head, as if he was the odd one out in a girls' conversation. "What took you so long? We've been waiting for a while now."

 _We?_ Rukia was taken aback. Well, obviously if Karin was here, that should mean-

Ichigo frowned at his sister's inquiry. "We walked here," he retorted simply, bringing his arm back down to his side.

"Took your sweet time, huh?" Karin raised her eyebrows slightly, then glanced at Rukia, giving her another lazy grin with a hint of mischief. "Come inside." She turned around and started pacing deeper into the house.

Ichigo sighed and scratched the back of his head again, before stepping inside, hesitantly followed by the Kuchiki woman. As soon as they were in, the door closed almost instantly by itself behind them, enveloping them in total darkness.

Unfazed, Ichigo warned quietly, "We're heading down - watch your step," before starting to descend a long set of stairs. A small bead of sweat slid down Rukia's temple as she followed him - Karin was nowhere in sight. Only the pair's footsteps were heard. It was definitely strange. She couldn't even sense any reiatsu; as if some kind of invisible barrier were preventing her from doing so, similar to the one that surrounded the Seireitei.

After about two minutes of silent descent, the two of them finally made it to a bright, long hallway. It only took another minute or so until Rukia spotted Karin standing by a large, sliding door.

The younger girl crossed her arms over her chest and smirked lazily. "You may've been wondering what this is all about, Rukia-chan." She placed both hands on the door handle. "Well.. I'll be doing the honors."

Despite herself, the Kuchiki heiress tensed, lightly gripping the sides of her uniform, and parted her lips subconsciously as she braced herself. She really wasn't sure what was about to-

Karin slid open the shoji door.

"CONGRATS TO THE NEW CAPTAIN!"

Rukia's eyes widened in surprise.

She had suspected that if Karin was here, so were her father and twin. She was right. Isshin and Yuzu Kurosaki were standing side by side on the right side of the room, smiling widely.

But they weren't the only ones.

The eccentric Kisuke Urahara was standing by them, smiling. And Ganju Shiba was right next to him, his arms crossed over his chest and a subtle smile playing on his lips.

"Congratulations, Kuchiki-san, heheh!"

Not only them, but Orihime Inoue, Uryuu Ishida, and Yasutora Sado (AKA Chad) were standing there too. Orihime was smiling happily while the two young men beside her had small smiles on their faces.

And as if that wasn't surprising enough for her, another familiar trio was also present.

"Hey, Kuchiki-san!"

Ichigo's school friends, Keigo Asano, Mizuiro Kojima, and Tatsuki Arisawa were there; all three standing by Orihime and the others.

This was too much. Rukia couldn't believe it. Why were they all here? _They..._

She looked back at Ichigo, who was standing a little behind her. He had a rather unreadable expression on his face. His gaze was focused somewhere ahead and his lips were pursed. He didn't give her a glance as she searched his face.

 _Did he... Why would he..._

"NNNEEEEE-SSSSAAAAAANNN!"

The stuffed lion flew towards Rukia at high-speed with tears spilling from the corners of his eyes.

"I missed you sooo much!"

The Kuchiki girl was fast to act as she lightly karate-chopped him away from her.

"Ugh!" Kon grunted as he landed on the wooden floor. "This is how you treat me after we haven't seen each other in years?!" he sobbed as he stood up and fixed a rather strange, cone-shaped mini object on his head. "I couldn't even put the party hat on you.."

 _..Party hat?_

Looking beside Kon, Rukia noticed the same object, but bigger, laying on the floor. Bending down and picking it up, she realized it was a...piece of carton... With a silvery string attached to it. And even stranger was that it had a design of Chappy, her favorite fictional bunny, on it.

Looking around the room, the young woman came to the realization that everyone was wearing these...'party hats'. Well, except for Ishida. Noticing her somewhat confused stare, the Quincy simply pushed up his glasses, which glinted in the light. Even Chad was wearing a party hat - though, amusingly, it was a mini one like Kon's.

Rukia wasn't sure what this strange custom was about, but she couldn't help the slight grin that formed on her lips. After all, the design on them was of _Chappy_! Quickly seeing its function from how the others were wearing it, she pulled down the party hat's string and placed it underneath her chin as she rested the cone on her head.

Feeling that it was alright for a few seconds, she lowered her head and closed her eyes, placing a light fist on top of her chest. As everyone realized what she was doing and quieted down, Rukia opened her eyes, still facing the wooden floor.

"I..." She looked up, facing everyone. "Thank you...for this. I couldn't have expected it. I am...honestly surprised that all of you are here and...I truly appreciate it." Rukia gave a genuine, happy smile.

A serene silence took over the room.

After a few seconds, however, Keigo suddenly exclaimed, "Well, now that the star of the show is here," he pumped a fist in the air, "Let's PARTY!"

Everyone in the room cheered; save for the quiet ones, of course.

The Kuchiki heiress stepped inside the room - she had still been standing at the entrance - and Ichigo followed. As he passed by her side, everything around Rukia suddenly felt in slow motion. His body was a little closer than she would have expected, their hands almost touching. She could feel his warmth, which, for some reason, felt stronger than she remembered.

But then suddenly, time resumed its usual pace as the Kurosaki casually passed before her, making his way over to his family.

...While Rukia stood there, staring ahead at a random spot on the floor, frozen in her tracks. For some incomprehensible reason, the proximity of Ichigo had caught her off guard. She felt a tingly, warm sensation on her side where he had passed - almost _brushed_ \- by.

She closed her eyes and let out a small breath through her nose, shaking her head once. _There's nothing to be tense over. It's just been a while since you were that close. And today has just...been full of events._

Wanting to stop these distractions, Rukia decided to turn her attention to Keigo, who had practically scrambled to a corner of the room when he'd announced the start of the party. He was banging both sides of a rather large, strange-looking black box sitting on a table.

She couldn't tell what he was doing with it, but after a few more seconds of apparent struggle and pondering, he looked over his shoulder and exclaimed, "Hey, Urahara-san, can you help me? The stereo isn't working!"

 _Ste-...reo?_

"Ah, no worries! Let me just..." the shopkeeper walked over to the stereo as Keigo stepped aside, "...insert some more spirit particles into it." He took out some device from his robes, and as if it were a magnet, it attached itself to the stereo.

Rukia stood there, staring curiously. After a few seconds, the device seemed to buzz and Urahara removed it from the stereo. "There! That should do it!"

Keigo pressed a few buttons, and to Rukia's surprise, what sounded like _music_ started coming out of it.

"AWW, YEAH!" Keigo exclaimed as he made a fist and pumped down his elbow victoriously. "Thanks, Urahara-san! Man, I still think it's amazing how you came up with this! You know, what with no electricity and all!"

The innovative man placed his fan over his mouth and laughed. "Of course! I literally had to take it apart first to start my experiment. Had to see how to make it work with spirit particles and all. Glad it worked!"

Urahara then glanced at Rukia, as if he had known she was looking their way. His eyes crinkled at the sides, as if smirking behind his fan.

"Curious, Kuchiki-san?" His eyes widened slightly. "Oh, I meant _Captain_ Kuchiki." He laughed somewhat apologetically and fanned himself.

Rukia made her way over and stood before the stereo, which was softly playing fast-paced music that was basically going 'n-ts, n-ts, n-ts' repeatedly. "Strange-looking...contraption you have here. How is it doing that?"

"Oh, you mean the music?" Urahara answered, giving her a smile. "That's what a stereo does. It's basically a bigger type of radio that blares music out loud."

At Rukia's brief, confused knitting of her brows at the word 'radio', Urahara added, "A radio does the same thing, only it's typically smaller."

He closed his fan and gave her a mischievous smile. "It's an item from the Living World. It would have never worked in Soul Society were it not for me!"

Keigo nodded and piped in, "Yeah, he managed to make it work with the spirit particle things."

After a second or two of making eye contact with Rukia, Keigo did a small take and quickly took his eyes off her. He placed a hand behind his head and looked at the floor a little awkwardly - which was unlike him.

In that instant, the Kuchiki heiress realized she had never interacted with Keigo, nor any of Ichigo's other 'normal' friends, as her usual self. They knew her as a more girly type of girl, not to mention they had thought she was their age and...well, _alive._ This was the first time since the defeat of Sosuke Aizen that she spoke with any of them. Now they were fully aware that she wasn't human and was in a high-ranking position in her world.

She could guess that since they were here in Soul Society, then they must've been told everything, or at least most of what they could grasp; apart from what they already knew, due to Chad and Orihime's informing them, after Ichigo had lost his powers at the end of the Winter War. The same thing could be said about Ichigo's sisters, though they both seemed to fit in a bit more, considering.

As if remembering something, Keigo suddenly spoke up, interrupting the Kuchiki's thoughts. "Ah, I inserted one of my CD's into the stereo, so that's where the music's coming from - if you're wondering. Oh, and a CD is this flat, circular shiny thing that contains music in it, and in order to listen to it, you have to place it in a radio, stereo, or CD player."

He paused briefly. "Um, I would've brought my iPod, but it won't work in this place unless I get it remade by Urahara-san." His eyes then widened slightly, as if he forgot something. "Oh, uh, an iPod is a device that plays music as well. It's just smaller and can be carried in your pocket."

"Aha..." Rukia nodded in understanding. Interesting information she absorbed here (though it had come off in a babble). This 'stereo' was truly fascinating. Maybe she'd get Urahara to make her one so she could place it in her home and show it to her brother. But, of course...with different types of music, as she didn't think her brother's tastes were the same as Keigo's.

Turning to face Urahara, she asked, "Do you think you can make me one?"

"Oh? Really?" Urahara's eyes were slightly wide in surprise. "Well...if you're so interested, Captain Kuchiki, then I don't see why not. I'll be sure to deliver it as soon as possible when it's done. You are still, after all, one of my best customers." He smiled and opened his fan, placing it over his mouth.

"Oh! You'll need some music to go with that! I can make you some mixtapes, Kuchiki-san! What kind of music do you like?" Keigo chimed in, grinning.

Rukia pondered over his question. "Well, my brother and I both enjoy...traditional Japanese music. We also like some classical, which Nii-sama first heard on one of his early trips to the Living World, and just a few years ago showed to me."

Keigo raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I see. Hmm, well that's to be expected, considering." He chuckled and gave her a thumbs-up. "You got it, then! Oh, and just for fun, I'll make you a mixtape with some different types of music. You might like it."

If it was anything like what was currently playing...she doubted it, especially from her brother. Feeling grateful, nonetheless, she gave him a curt nod. "Thank you. I appreciate it, Asano."

He gave her a grin as she gave him a small smile. Rukia figured he must've started to loosen up, now that they conversed. She was glad things were starting to be like before.

"Ah, I... _can_ call you Kuchiki-san..no? Or should I call you Captain?" Keigo suddenly asked, as he placed a hand on the back of his head again, looking a little embarrassed.

The young woman hadn't even thought about it. She gave him another small smile. "You don't have to call me Captain. You are, after all, a normal human."

"Right... Okay!" The goofy guy gave her a large grin. "Oh! If you're interested in how to put music in like an iPod or CD, you-OW!"

"Okayyyy, _Asano-san,_ " said none other than Mizuiro, who had just stomped on Keigo's foot. "Enough with the babbling."

Ignoring his friend's protests, the black-haired young man turned to Rukia and bowed slightly. "It is a pleasure to see you again, Kuchiki-san. You are looking more beautiful than I remember."

A small blush formed on Rukia's cheeks. "Th-Thank you, Kojima."

"What'd you do that for?! And don't call me Asano-san!" Keigo demanded as he stopped rubbing his foot, tears at the corners of his eyes.

"Now, now, _Asano-san_ , you can't be hogging Kuchiki-san all to yourself. She needs to spend time with the others as well," Mizuiro chastised, not even giving him a glance.

Rukia chuckled and thanked them both, including Urahara, who was still standing there, and excused herself to go to the other side of the room. As soon as she did so, the first one to speak up was the bubbly Orihime.

"Kuchiki-san! You look so pretty!" she exclaimed. "Long hair really suits you!"

Another small blush covered Rukia's cheeks. She really _had_ been doing a lot of blushing today. "Thanks, Inoue. You look great too!"

"Heheh... Oh! Um, it was my idea that we wear party hats for your celebration." Orihime shyly rubbed the back of her head as she looked away. "Um, I hope you don't find it silly...since it isn't your birthday.."

Rukia shook her head calmly. "No, don't worry, Inoue. I actually find it kind of interesting. Didn't know humans had this kind of custom. Besides..." She lightly touched her party hat and smiled. "It's Chappy."

Orihime smiled back and lowered her arm. "I knew you would like the Chappy design! Ishida-kun and I made them, since Chappy is from Soul Society. And Kurosaki-kun insisted not to make them!"

She glanced over at the said Kurosaki who was standing off to the side by Chad. "Even at the last minute, he still asked if it was _really_ necessary to wear them before he went to pick you up!" She giggled. "I'm glad I didn't listen to him!"

Ichigo flushed a little and scowled as he crossed his arms over his chest, turning away from them both.

Everyone near them chuckled at the scene.

As this transpired, a small glint of wistfulness appeared in Orihime's eyes as she looked at him.

The only ones who noticed, were her friends, Ishida and Tatsuki. After all, they'd been aware of the small change in her since a few years ago.

[][][][][]

 _A FEW WEEKS AFTER ICHIGO'S RETURN TO KARAKURA TOWN:_

 _After having gone out to eat to celebrate their high school graduation, Ichigo and his friends were walking down a quiet, neighborhood street, the sun beginning to set on the horizon before them._

 _"So, what should we do next? Should we go to that new arcade that opened recently?" Keigo suggested._

 _Ichigo suddenly began to walk a little ahead of his friends, a hand in his pocket, and casually said he'd see them later._

 _It all started here._

 _As Keigo asked where he was going. As the gang slowly stopped walking and stared at Ichigo's distancing back. As he stopped and looked over his shoulder, the setting sun giving his unruly, orange hair a small glow._

 _And with a broad smile on his face, his eyes more alive than they'd ever seen them before, he responded, "I'm going to see Rukia."_

 _And he then faced forward again, raising_ _his free hand up with a small wave as he_ _walked away, his steps slowly turning into a full-on sprint towards the sunset..._

 _Everyone remained silent. No one could deny what they had seen. Ichigo had looked so...happy. So at peace._

 _And it had all been over one reason._

 _Seeing_ her _again._

 _Even if Ichigo didn't realize it himself, whatever he felt towards Rukia Kuchiki was definitely deeper than before._

 _Subtly, Ishida glanced at Orihime. Tatsuki had done the same, a small, compassionate frown on her face._

 _Orihime had simply been staring at the Kurosaki, her lips slightly parted._

 _After a minute or so, she spoke up, saying she wanted to rest at home, that she felt a little tired after the day's excitement._

 _Keigo did a double take, and an "Eh?" escaped out of his lips, but nothing else. In fact, no one said anything, as if somewhat aware of the situation_ _._

 _Looking down,_ _Orihime smiled and_ _some strands of her hair fell over her face; turning in the opposite direction Ichigo had left in, she walked away._

 _Tatsuki decided not to go after her. She knew her friend probably needed some time alone._

 _And that was correct. The auburn-haired girl couldn't erase the expression on Ichigo's face from her mind. She could almost feel the strength of his feelings in that instant he declared his destination; it was almost tangible._

 _And she couldn't help but_ know _right then and there...that her own feelings would never reach him. They would never even compare to what he seemingly portrayed in that instant. She wasn't even sure what kinds of expressions she made whenever he was around, but deep down, she knew she had never smiled like that for him._

 _If anything, she could only recall smiling cheerfully, gratefully, and sadly, when it came to him. Nothing...more._

 _And that night, even though she had been so happy over her graduation a few hours prior...tears of sadness fell down her cheeks. Crying the night away was all she could bring herself to do._

 _Sometime after that, she did a lot of thinking in the next few months. A_ _nalyzing, as she had been unable to do so before. She had been blinded by what she wanted to see, and not what was actually there. She had loved an Ichigo that wasn't real. A fantasy. She had failed to see the real him._

 _And that's what hurt most in all this._

 _Not his clear disinterest in her, not his obliviousness towards her feelings, not the times she couldn't help him more as she wanted to..._

 _Her friends, mostly Tatsuki and Ishida, had noticed how Orihime seemed to avoid Ichigo after that incident, whenever the gang decided to hang out on the weekends and such. And how she gradually started to loosen up a bit around him, being more like her usual self as she always had been with the others._

 _The auburn-haired woman hadn't been oblivious to her best friend knowing what was going through her mind, but neither dared bring up Orihime's inner turmoil. They both had an unspoken understanding that she wasn't ready._

 _But, when it finally became less painful to talk about giving up on the man she had claimed to love, the two girls finally had their overdue conversation in Orihime's apartment during a sleepover. About everything._

 _Neither of the two women had noticed Ishida's concern_ _, but rather, his more openness towards Orihime. And the young woman was thankful, even though she wasn't sure why._

 _Unbeknownst to everyone, Ichigo felt a small feeling of relief as time had passed, as if a lightweight had been lifted off his chest. He hadn't realized why, exactly (he didn't want to ponder on it much), but he felt everything was going to be alright._

 _Then, with Soul Ticket in hand, as he was about to cross the Senkaimon to Soul Society under Urahara's shop, Orihime had called out to him._

 _Ichigo, his family and friends had glanced over at the girl. Noticing her expression, everyone but the Kurosaki in question had decided to go on ahead, entering the gate to celebrate Rukia's promotion._

 _Oblivious, Ichigo_ _turned to face Orihime but_ _stayed where he was before the open gate, his arms at his sides. Orihime was standing a few steps away, her hand lightly in a fist over her chest, her brows slightly creased._

 _She took a step forward, then looked down at the ground, her hand slowly falling down to her side and lightly gripping her skirt. Some strands of her hair fell over her eyes._

 _"I..." She paused and took in a small breath._ _"I'm...sorry I couldn't care for you properly."_

 _The man before her simply stared at her, his lips slightly parted._

 _Orihime looked up, her lips slowly forming into a wistful, but grateful smile. "But...thank you. For...everything, Kurosaki-kun."_

 _A soft breeze strangely passed through, making their hair swish subtly._

 _Ichigo wasn't so sure what she meant, but the previous feelings of relief and that a lightweight had been lifted off him, had resurfaced. He gave his comrade a broad grin and looked over his shoulder at the gate behind him._

 _"No worries, Inoue. Let's go. To see Rukia."_

 _She stared at him for a few seconds, the moment sinking in. Then, as her lips slowly formed into a grin of her own, Orihime closed her slightly wet eyes and nodded in relief. "Yeah!"_

[][][][][]

 _PRESENT:_

When she occasionally still thought about her old "love", or more like, her old "crush", it only left a small pang in her chest. It was hardly there anymore.

Especially now, as she looked upon Ichigo with his apparently annoyed expression on his face, Orihime could tell she had made the right decision, came to the right conclusion.

He was happy. Happier than she had seen him in the last three years.

And...she was happy for him. Glancing at Rukia, Orihime could see the tender look in her indigo eyes as she gazed in amusement at the orange-haired boy.

If that was all the confirmation she needed, Orihime was sure that the feelings Ichigo held, the raven-haired girl did too.

"Inoue-san."

Orihime turned her head to see Ishida beside her. He pushed up his glasses and held out a plate with a slice of strawberry cake on it. "I got this for you. If you want some now," he said softly.

Her eyes lit up. The cheerful girl had offered to bake a cake for the get-together a few days ago, but everyone had said it wasn't necessary; however, when Ichigo's sister Yuzu had offered to bake it herself, everyone had quickly agreed. As it was, Orihime had decided to cook a little something for everyone instead, and no one really had the audacity to tell her no.

Even though she had been a little disappointed about not making the cake, Orihime had been craving some of Yuzu's since she arrived in Soul Society, but had wanted to wait until Rukia had taken a slice first. But, now that everyone else seemed to be getting their own already, Orihime decided maybe she could indulge. Not to mention Ishida was being kind enough to offer her a slice.

Smiling happily at him, she accepted the cake, taking the small, plastic fork on it and a bite of the strawberry slice. "Mmmm, thank you, Ishida-kun!"

The Quincy let himself grin a little and a small blush appeared on his cheeks. "You're welcome, Inoue-san."

Orihime felt herself blush slightly for some reason, but nonetheless, continued to eat her delicious slice of cake.

Unbeknownst to them, Rukia noticed their exchange. She didn't know why, but a small, genuine smile formed on her lips.

Noticing her gaze, Ishida spoke up in obliviousness. "Kuchiki-san. It's a pleasure to see you again." As if a light bulb flashed on his head, he suddenly walked over to a door, which seemed to lead to a closet, and took out something before returning.

In his hands were three dresses, each covered with plastic. "I made these during the two weeks before coming here. I hope you'll like them." He held them out towards her in a rather shy manner.

Surprised, Rukia took them in her hands. She looked them over in wonder. Two of them were silky, elegant kimonos, and the other one was a summery, more modern-style dress.

"Thank you, Ishida. These are...beautiful." She looked up at him and smiled appreciatively.

The Quincy pushed up his glasses from the middle, making them glint in the light. "You're welcome. Besides, free grade-A outfits from a future fashion designer are hard to come by."

Rukia raised her eyebrows. "Really? You're...?" She paused, letting the meaning of the foreign profession sink in her mind, then smiled. "Oh. Of course. It suits you."

Comically, a small spark flashed by Ishida's head. "I graduated from only the best fashion school in Japan, Bunka Fashion College, at the top of my class - so it's only a matter of time and hard work..."

Glancing somewhere behind Rukia, he crossed his arms over his chest and cleared his throat a little before adding, "Not to mention...I also made flexible attire for Arisawa-san's upcoming competition."

"Huh? What?" The athletic Tatsuki came back from getting herself a slice of cake. Quickly catching on, she turned to face Rukia and gave her a friendly grin. "Oh, yeah. It's next week. If you can, you should come watch it on TV."

Tatsuki placed her free hand on her waist, puffing out her chest a little. "I'm so going to become the next Vale Tudo champion." Closing her eyes and giving a little smirk, she continued, "And I also heard some UFC scouts are going to be there, so if I manage to impress them..."

Rukia raised an eyebrow. "Really?" Vaguely remembering that Tatsuki was involved in martial arts, Rukia inferred that she must be talking about something related to that, and gave her a small smile in return.

Even though she didn't know her very well, Rukia could tell that Orihime's best friend was good at what she did. "I'll look at my schedule for next week to see if I can. Thank you for the invitation."

Having noticed almost everyone had a slice of cake, the spontaneous Inoue suddenly piped in, "Oh! Kuchiki-san! Do you want some cake? It has strawberries in it! It's really good!"

At that, the motherly Yuzu, who had been watching the exchange, smiled shyly and bowed slightly at Rukia, hands clasped below her stomach. "Made by yours truly."

Going unnoticed, Ichigo's still annoyed scowl from earlier deepened slightly.

He didn't know why Yuzu had to go and bake a strawberry shortcake for the occasion. It kinda bothered him a little, if his name was any indication. He had asked her like three times if that's what she really wanted, and she innocently insisted that yes, she really did. Even Karin told him to stop being so self-conscious and to deal with it (obviously knowing what his problem was); she really caught on quick. In the end, he dejectedly had to agree.

The Kuchiki woman grinned at the young girl. "Thank you, Yuzu. I think I'm ready for dessert, then. I didn't get to that back home, as Ichigo came for me before I could."

"Oh, yes, Brother told us that _your_ brother also organized a celebration for you." Yuzu smiled and giggled.

A small blush appeared on Rukia's cheeks. "Yes, he did..."

"Here."

Utterly unexpected, a slice of cake was suddenly offered to Rukia by the silent Chad.

"Ah, Kuchiki-san, let me put the dresses back in the closet meanwhile; you can retrieve them later before you leave," Ishida spoke, motioning to the dresses in the lady captain's arms.

"Ah, thank you, Ishida." Rukia handed him the dresses before taking the small plate offered to her by Chad. Giving him a small, appreciative smile, she thanked him, to which he simply nodded and began to eat his own slice of cake.

The raven-haired woman then noticed he was wearing a stethoscope around his neck.

Noticing her curious look, Orihime suddenly exclaimed, "Kuchiki-san, if you're wondering, Sado-kun is going to be a vet! A vet, short for veterinarian, is basically an animal healer!" Letting out a small giggle, she continued, "Sado-kun also volunteers at this pet clinic and sometimes forgets to take off his stethoscope when he leaves."

The quiet man stopped eating for a sec. "Yeah, I do," was his only comment, before continuing to eat his cake.

Briefly remembering that one incident involving the parakeet, the lady captain gave him another small smile. "Ah... Congrats, Sado."

Receiving another nod from him, and suddenly remembering what Ishida and Tatsuki had informed her about their chosen career paths, Rukia turned to face Orihime. "Oh, by the way, Inoue, what are you in?"

The bubbly woman grinned happily. "Oh, heheh. Well, after some thought, I decided I want to have my own bakery someday. Or maybe a dessert shop. I studied culinary arts and am still working part-time at this bakery from a few years ago." Orihime looked away shyly. "I'm getting better at my cooking and baking skills.."

"You're darn right, Orihime-chan!"

Ichigo's father Isshin made his way over to the conversing girls, a plate of food in his hands. "This lasagna is great!"

Orihime's eyes lit up. "R-Really? I was undecided on whether I should try hot sauce instead of normal tomato sauce on the mea-"

"Oh, it's fine like this! Just right!" Isshin took a large bite of his lasagna to prove his point. "Mmmm~!"

The cheerful girl placed a hand above her chest and sighed in relief. "Ah, phew. I was beginning to think I made the wrong choice when no one grabbed any earlier, during our 'Waiting for Kuchiki-san' lunch."

"Oh, no, heheh.." Gulping down another bite of his lasagna, Isshin diverted his attention to the Kuchiki heiress, who had started to eat her cake. He smiled broadly, and abruptly placed a hand on her shoulder, making her jump slightly. "Nice to see you again, Rukia-chan! Time has surely done you well!"

The woman in question stared up at him with a small bead of sweat at her temple. "Oh, th-thank you, sir!"

The man simply chuckled and removed his hand from her shoulder, continuing to eat the Italian dish.

Composing herself, Rukia glanced at the others enjoying their slices of cake, when she noticed the rambunctious Ganju standing awkwardly with a small pout on his lips. A fresh-looking purple bruise was on his forehead.

Catching her looking at it with a blank expression, Ganju quickly slapped a hand over his forehead and shot a glare at Karin, who was before the table with food and drinks, serving herself some tea.

Having followed Rukia's gaze, Orihime exclaimed, "Ah, Ganju-kun, let me heal it for you!"

"Thanks," Ganju grumbled, putting his hand down. It took less than five seconds for the bruise to disappear, which slightly surprised him. She had never given him the vibe that she was very strong. Well, it seemed the bubbly girl had been doing some training in the past five years after the war...

Remembering his situation, Ganju then scowled. "If only _somebody_ hadn't face-planted me on the floor..." He stared pointedly at Karin again as she began making her way back to them, drink in hand and a dango stick on the other.

"Ahaha, that's _your_ fault. I told you I was going to open the door for Ichi-nii and Rukia-chan, but you tried to beat me to it." She stopped in front of him and nonchalantly took a bite of her dango. "So you left me with no choice but to kick you out of the way."

Looking upon the scene, Rukia assumed they were referring to the scuffle she heard earlier before entering the Shiba house.

"Aha~ That's how it's done! You're turning out to be a fine lady like me!"

At the new voice, Ganju held in his retort and speedily turned towards the entrance of the room. "Sis!"

Standing before the opened shoji door, was none other than the head of the household, Kukaku Shiba, casually holding a pipe in one hand and the other placed at her waist. But she wasn't alone. Beside her, stood the "goddess of flash", Yoruichi Shihoin, with arms crossed over her chest and a grin at her lips.

"S-Sis! But she hurt me!" Ganju blurted, small tears appearing at the corners of his eyes.

"That's your fault," Kukaku responded indifferently, walking over to the group. She glanced at the young girl in question and smiled. "She definitely didn't get it from nowhere. It runs in the family."

"Ah, thanks, Kukaku-chan," Karin replied, giving her a smile back.

As Ganju went to go sulk in a corner, Kukaku turned her eyes to Rukia.

The Kuchiki heiress felt a small bead of sweat fall down her temple as she stared back.

After what felt like an eternity (but really, it was only a few seconds), the older woman suddenly gave her a lazy grin. "Congrats."

Rukia briefly widened her eyes in surprise before bowing her head. "Thank you very much," she said quietly.

"Hah, no need to be so formal. After all, this is your party, no?" Kukaku took a puff of her pipe and then glanced at the open doorway. "Hoo, I'm getting a little hungry."

Having heard that, Yuzu immediately made a run for the door. "Oh, let me check on dinner! I completely forgot!"

Kukaku chuckled at the teenage girl, then gave Rukia another lazy grin before joining Yoruichi, who was now with Urahara by the appetizer table.

Rukia stared at the eccentric group, then glanced at Ichigo (who was currently in a headlock, courtesy of his dad), and Karin, who took a seat on a cushion beside them unperturbed.

As Ganju decided to join the scuffle between Ichigo and his dad, and Yuzu returned with Kukaku's two loyal assistants in tow carrying large dinner trays, Rukia couldn't help but to reminisce about what had led it all to this - this _peace_.

Sometime after the Seireitei had begun reconstruction, Ichigo had simply dropped the bomb on Rukia that he was related to the Shibas; his father had been a former branch head of the clan, and was the uncle of Kukaku and Ganju. There had been no need to mention Isshin's former status as the 10th Division Captain, since those who recognized him during the war, had spread the exciting news of his unexpected return all over the Seireitei.

Moreover, Ichigo's mother, Masaki Kurosaki (whom his father had adopted the last name of) had been a Quincy, and infected by a Hollow, which explained the existence of Ichigo's inner Hollow.

All of this, of course, had caught Rukia by surprise. Even more so that...Ichigo was...a _Shiba_? Which also meant...he was related to her late mentor, Kaien Shiba, the older brother of Kukaku and Ganju.

When she thought about it, the resemblance was definitely there, but even so, they were very different. Rukia, once or twice before, had wondered how those two cousins would interact if Kaien was still in Soul Society. She could imagine him outsmarting Ichigo and even teaching him things, and the thought made her smile.

Three days later, Captain-Commander Kyoraku had held a special ceremony to welcome back former comrades and honor new ones, as well as announce some new laws in the Seireitei.

Because of the help they had provided during the war, former 12th Captain Urahara and former head of the Shihoin Clan, Yoruichi, were granted the rights to return to Soul Society, if they so wished, as well as including former Kido Corps Captain, Tessai Tsukabishi.

Even though they could return at any time, the two shopkeepers had chosen to stay in the Living World for a longer while, as they didn't want to leave the two living children in their care - Jinta Hanakari and Ururu Tsumugiya - alone. However, sometimes they paid visits to the Seireitei, on rare occasions bringing the said children. Yoruichi, on the other hand, would go back and forth between worlds, sometimes visiting her family in the Seireitei.

In addition, for the help they had provided, the Shiba Clan was reinstated as one of the Great Noble Houses, and could choose to live in the Seireitei. Even so, Kukaku preferred to stay on the outskirts of the First District in the Rukongai, but she and those she lead would sometimes enter the Seireitei on occasions.

Concerning the Shibas, Ichigo's father Isshin was also allowed to return to Soul Society if he so wished. But because of his young daughters, and still living son, he chose to stay in the Living World until they would be mature enough.

When details of the latter had been revealed to the public, Ichigo's popularity throughout Soul Society had increased tenfold. Not only was he the son of a former captain, who had also been the former branch head of a noble family, but that of a Quincy who had been infected by a Hollow. Adding his experience with Fullbring into the mix, Ichigo's unbelievable hybrid _and_ noble states were surely something to talk about, even in seedy old bars in the southern districts of the Rukongai.

Among the new laws set by Central 46 and Captain-Commander Kyoraku, new allies to Soul Society had been recognized:

The dead Fullbringers under the wing of the Shiba Clan, who were only allowed to live in the Seireitei if they became Soul Reapers, or if the Shiba Clan decided to live there; those who were alive, however, were just declared allies.

The Quincies, father and son, Ryuuken and Uryuu Ishida.

And, although controversial to acknowledge, the few former Espadas who had fought under either Urahara or the captain of the 12th Division, Mayuri Kurotsuchi. They had to undergo a peace treaty in which it was (grudgingly) agreed that neither the allied Espadas nor the Soul Reapers would go against each other. But as the former Espadas (whose ranks did not matter anymore) were still Hollows, should the treaty become breached, the alliance would be automatically off.

"Rukia-chan, would you like something to eat?"

Breaking out of her train of thought, the woman in question noticed Yuzu was standing before her.

Feeling her stomach make a tiny growl, Rukia gave a nod. "Ah..yes, I think so. It's been a while since I ate at home earlier."

Yuzu smiled, and they both started walking towards the low tables where everyone was heading to. The older adults sat in a group of four on one table, while the younger ones and Kon sat in a group of two rows beside them.

Noticing the only empty spot was in between Ichigo and Chad, Rukia made her way over and sat on the cushion positioned there. As she made herself comfortable, she became faintly aware of how close her right shoulder was to Ichigo's left. They were almost touching. Moreover, Ichigo's body heat was radiating off him like a small heat wave.

Had he always been this...warm?

She glanced at Chad, realizing he wasn't as close, just a few inches away from her. She then glanced up at Ichigo, who was casually drinking his tea in his right hand.

Looking at her dinner plate, and then at her cup of tea placed at the right side of her low table, the Kuchiki heiress decided to take a sip first before eating. Not really knowing why, she didn't make an effort to simply grab the cup with her right hand - instead opting for the left.

She slowly took a sip and then placed it gingerly on the table.

Rukia made no other move, as she still felt Ichigo's left arm idly at his side, ever close to her right arm. After about three seconds passed, she closed her eyes and let out a quiet huff.

 _What am I doing?_

She reached for the chopsticks placed beside the plate with her right hand, her arm brushing Ichigo's. A tingly sensation coursed through her arm from his radiating body heat.

Has _he always been this warm?_

Breaking her chopsticks apart, the movement caused her arm to brush by Ichigo's again.

 _No...he..._

With chopsticks in hand, she reached for a piece of meat on her plate, at the same time Ichigo finally moved his left arm to reach for a small bowl of rice, their arms a little more than brushing. Ichigo seemed unperturbed. Rukia couldn't care less about feeling his biceps.

 _Seriously, why is his arm still so...warm?!_

She took a bite of the meat, trying to calm herself.

 _No, the entire left side of his body is warm... It's almost as if it's coming off in small waves..._

But she couldn't deny that now her entire right side felt tingly.

 _How is this happening?_

Nevertheless, throughout the rest of dinner, Ichigo and Rukia's arms constantly brushed each other every time they made a move - mostly Rukia taking something from her plate. Ichigo did glance at her once, but did not say anything.

It didn't even cross Rukia's mind that she could've just moved a little to her left in order to have her own little space...

* * *

As Urahara was finishing his tea, one of his gadgets started to buzz inside his robes.

"Ah, excuse me a second, guys," he said sheepishly, placing his fan over his mouth.

"Sure, sure, Urahara," Isshin replied, too busy slurping up his noodles and taking another mouthful of his second serving of Orihime's lasagna. Kukaku took a glance at him and waved a hand lazily as she continued chatting with Yoruichi.

Urahara stood up from his cushion and walked over to the opposite side of the room, past the young adults, and farthest from the stereo. He took out his device and pressed a button.

"Ye-?"

 _[Hello, Urahara-san!]_

"Ah, Nelliel-san! It's you! What is it that you need?"

He had suspected (or hoped, really) it was her. He'd only designed this communication device for specific souls, after all..

 _[Well, I just wanted to know how you were doing! And I also wanted to know how Ichigo is doing!]_

Urahara chuckled. "Well, I'm fine. And he is too. We're actually in Soul So-"

 _[What the hell are you doing, Nelliel? Is that- Are you talking to that blond geek?]_

Urahara sweat-dropped.

 _[Grimmjow! ...Do not call him that. His name is Urahara-san.]_

 _[He's just like that weirdo Szayel. 'Urahara-san' my a-]_

"Nelliel-san, so about Kurosaki-san..." the shopkeeper interrupted, starting to sweat a little. Who was he just compared to?

 _[Kurosaki?!]_

 _[Oh, Urahara-san, you shouldn't have mentioned-]_

 _[Is that orange-haired bastard there?! Tell him I'm still waiting for our showdown! I'll teach him who's boss.]_

 _[Grimmjow...stop trying to fight Ichigo.]_

 _[What, you wanna fight me in his stead? I'll take you on! How 'bout right here, right now?! Ye know I've been waiting!]_

 _[...And like I've said before,_ no _. Now leave. You can bother Urahara-san later with your communicator.]_

"Ah, guys, calm down..." Urahara tried to appease. He knew the two former Espadas had a rather...complicated relationship, ever since he recruited them against the Quincies for the Thousand-Year Blood War.

Since they had been declared allies of Soul Society, he had presented the pair with phone-like devices he invented, so they could communicate whenever was necessary. Not really wanting either of them to be wandering Hueco Mundo, the Hollow world, as if they had no place, Urahara had asked Hachigen Ushoda, the Visored healer and former Kido Corps lieutenant, along with Orihime, if they could attempt to restore Aizen's former palace, Las Noches. After all, it had been destroyed almost entirely in the Winter War and the last. It had been no easy feat, but nevertheless, it had been able to be accomplished.

On rare occasions, the eccentric shopkeeper visited the two through the Garganta (gate to Hueco Mundo) he created sometime after the war. He would bring them some items from the Living World, such as a cable TV that functioned in the same way the stereo did. He also invented teleport-like machines, which could send items to Hueco Mundo from the Living World and vice-versa (the latter in case something needed fixing).

The former Tercera Espada, Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, occasionally called him to inform him of how things were over there, or to ask about her friend Ichigo. Unlike before, she no longer turned into a small child, as right after the war but before the restoration of Las Noches, Urahara had curiously asked Orihime if she could attempt to restore Nel's body with her rejection power, with the help of the special armband he had gifted the turquoise-haired woman beforehand. Miraculously, to everyone's surprise, it worked.

Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, on the other hand... He only rarely called him, usually to demand he send some more interesting items from the Living World. He also complained about Nelliel and her Fracciónes (subordinates), as well as the other Arrancars... Plus, to say he was bored, Nelliel, tell him he beat a random Hollow, wanted him to set up his fight against Kurosaki, wanted him to make Nelliel fight him, wanted _him_ to come fight him, and...

Complain about the fact that several weaker Hollows saw _both_ him and Nelliel as the rulers of Hueco Mundo. He and the hazel-eyed woman had helped fight against the Wandenreich, which had led to the recapture of Hueco Mundo from their temporary tyranny. Not to mention that Tier Harribel, the other former Tercera Espada, who had been the automatic ruler for a time, hadn't been able to survive the torture of the Wandenreich during her capture. It really was no wonder why the two Arrancars were seen with respect.

His perspective was curiously interesting, though.

The former Sexta Espada wanted to be the king. And he _was_ , as several Hollows saw him as such. But that annoying woman...unintentionally became the queen (or was seen as such, even by many of those who saw him as king). It irked him, to say the least.

And it didn't help that he (grudgingly) allowed her (as he preferred to call the woman's stubbornness) to live in Las Noches with him. They mostly kept to themselves, and there were other Arrancars living there as well, but geez.

Nevermind that she had saved his Hollow butt when that crazy, Aizen-wannabe Sternritter tried to kill him and those in the vicinity.

Urahara tried to change the subject as a bead of sweat fell down his temple. "Grimmjow-san, you shouldn't fight with such a beautiful woman! Why don't you try to be a little nice-"

He heard some distortion come from the other end, as if the device had been snatched away. _[SHUT UP! The_ hell _y-]_

 _[...Give me back the communicator.]_

A small scuffle was heard.

"Ah, how about I send you some action movies, Grimmjow-san? Or horror, like that one I sent you last time? Would you like that?" Realizing he had said the wrong thing, the shopkeeper tried to change the subject (once again). "What was it called...See? Sow? Some?"

 _[...You trying to distract me, you fu-?]_

 _[Sorry, Urahara-san, I must hang up now. Thank you for the info. Please let Ichigo know I miss him and wish him well.]_

The woman on the other end paused briefly, and what sounded like another small scuffle was heard.

 _[And yes, please do send some more of these 'movies'. At least Grimmjow will be entertained while I can relax.]_

 _[You're gonna hang up already?! ...Wait, you gon' fight me?]_

"Alright, I will! Oh, I will also send you some movies you might like, Nelliel-san! They're animated and well-liked!"

 _[Thank you.]_

Then her voice sounded a little far, as if she turned away from the device. _[No. Why are you even in my room?]_

Urahara heard the electric blue-haired man chuckle mockingly.

 _[Your door was freakin' open. I could hear you out in the hall talking on the-]_

 _[And what are you doing in this hall? Your room isn't even-]_

The former 12th Captain hung up, started fanning himself, and chuckled. "Well, that was something."

* * *

The night had officially started. Everyone had already finished their meals and desserts, and were now laughing and talking among themselves (the laughing mostly due to the shenanigans of a somewhat inebriated Isshin, who kept bugging his scowling son). By now, they had also taken off their party hats and removed the low tables.

As Rukia sat on her cushion, her hands placed on her lap and a small, amused smile on her face, the only word she could use to describe this night was _blissful_. Everyone was talking and laughing, and being surrounded by people who cared for each other, made her feel everything was just fine. Everything today had certainly been wonderful.

What more could she ask for?

Ichigo finally punched his dad into next week and sat down in an annoyed huff. And then suddenly, he caught her eye.

It was the first time since they had arrived that they'd made direct eye contact.

With a little lift of the corner of his lips, Ichigo gave her a small grin.

Rukia let out a small, amused huff, and gave him a little grin of her own.

"RUKIA-CHAN!"

Isshin suddenly grabbed the Kuchiki woman by the arm as he sobbed on the wooden floor.

"Ichigo iz so mean! He punched hiz daddy!" He let out a cough. "Why iz he like thizz?!"

Ichigo did a small take and bristled slightly. "Hey, old man!"

The older man closed his eyes tightly and shouted, "MASAKI! What have I done to our son?!"

Rukia sweat-dropped as the inebriated man continued to shout his wife's name, while still having his grip on her arm, and some of his tears fell on her lap.

"MASAKI! MASAKI! MASA-!"

A tick mark appeared on Karin's forehead. "SHUT UP!" She had stood up and kicked her father's butt comically towards the opposite wall.

Staying there for a second or two, Isshin then fell on his back on the floor from the crash. He lifted a finger weakly. "Good one, Karin.."

Everyone laughed, while Rukia pursed her lips, not knowing whether to be amused or not, and Ichigo simply stared at his dad indifferently, thinking he had it coming. Yuzu, however, ran to her dad's side and tried to comfort him.

"Geez, annoying old man. Seriously." Karin glanced at Rukia and lifted the corners of her lips. "You know how he is."

Rukia gave her a slow nod, and then Karin stretched her arms up before she started to walk to the entrance of the room.

"Let's go, Yuzu," she said nonchalantly.

Ichigo's ears perked up and he whipped his head to the left to look at his raven-haired sister. "What? Where are you going?" he asked, surprised.

"Ah, Karin, before you go..." Kukaku stood up from her cushion and walked over to the same closet where Ishida had stored Rukia's outfits. "You're gonna need this." She pulled out two rather shimmery, summer yukatas and held them out.

"Wh-?" Ichigo stared in confusion.

"You don't wanna stand out in those clothes, do you?" Kukaku smiled, ignoring Ichigo.

"...I guess not." Karin made her way over to the older woman and took the red, flowery yukata in her hands. "Thanks, Kukaku-chan."

"Karin...?" Ichigo was still confused. His eyes followed his other sister, as she also walked over to their cousin and took the light pink, flowery yukata in her hands. "Yuzu...?"

Before stepping out of the room to change, Karin looked over her shoulder at her brother. "Weren't you paying attention, Ichi-nii? Kukaku-chan told us there's a festival going on out there. In the few times we've visited, Yuzu and I have never gone farther than here...so we're gonna go see." She then proceeded to leave the room.

"YUZU! YUZU! DON'T LEAVE ME!" Isshin cried, now in a crawling position on the floor.

His sweetest daughter stopped walking. She looked back at her father, an uncertain expression on her face.

Karin's head appeared in the doorway. "Don't listen to him, Yuzu. He's drunk," she said with a small, disgusted frown.

She then glanced at her brother, who was still somewhat surprised, and gave him a serious look. "And no need to worry, Ichi-nii. We'll be fine."

Ichigo stared at her dark-grey eyes for a few seconds, then pursed his lips and gave her a nod.

"I'll get the house moving closer to the First District, then," Kukaku chimed in, as she started walking out the door.

As this transpired, Rukia realized just how much the twins had grown. A small, tender smile formed on her lips.

She recalled that a few days after the post-war ceremony and the spreading of news, Ichigo had encountered her during a spare moment they had. Both having been on a tight schedule, he had briefed her in on his father having brought his sisters to Soul Society two days prior, in order to meet their extended family. He said all had gone well, and that even though his sisters hadn't had a full grasp on this, they had slowly been starting to understand.

Well, it certainly seemed as so.

* * *

Karin stood in line for a game imaginatively titled, "Score A Goal."

Earlier, the twins had been walking around the festival for a little bit, when Yuzu had suddenly laid eyes on the sign of a pastry shop. Both had gone in and looked around, impressed by the delicious-looking pastries on display.

Karin had assumed they were just going to buy one or two with the money Kukaku had given them (called Kan, as real world money did not work here). But no, somehow, Yuzu had engaged in girlish conversation with the daughter of the owner - who had given them customer service - discussing pastries they liked to make, giving each other recipes, complimenting each other's yukatas, etc.

As it was, Karin couldn't really join in very well, as she didn't really have much to do with the kitchen other than washing dishes when it was her turn, or helping clean up. Seeing that her sister wasn't gonna be ready to leave anytime soon, Karin had excused herself to go look around a little bit (which the two chatting girls barely acknowledged, until they heard the tiny bell above the front door ring as Karin opened it.) Yuzu had asked her where she was going, and in a reassuring tone, Karin had told her she wasn't gonna go far, and that she remain in the shop until she came back.

No way would the raven-haired girl let her sweet sister wander off in this world they barely knew, especially during a festival with lots of people.

She also, in a rather quieter tone, had advised her about "that", which meant not to say anything about where they came from and their family, plus not to show the phone-like device Kukaku had given them should anything happen; they didn't want to grab unnecessary attention.

Yuzu had agreed, albeit a bit worriedly; she also didn't want her sister to wander alone in a place they barely knew, but she also knew Karin could handle herself, mostly.

As she had walked around the vivacious street, it had really struck Karin that the festival didn't look very different from the usual summer festivals back in Karakura Town. It almost hadn't felt like she was in another world. If it hadn't been for the fact that not a single person was wearing modern clothes or shoes, and that the buildings and streets were clearly old-fashioned if one paid any mind, she would have thought she was still back home. Still, being here... It was nearly inconceivable.

Ever since her father had revealed to her and her sister their heritage five years ago, given them a non-descriptive explanation of the war taking place, and then left them in Tessai's care at the Urahara Shop before departing to Soul Society...it had been a lot to take in.

As Karin had been looking around the festival for a little more, not wanting to wander off too far, she had come across a loud group of boys lined up before a small field, which was a little distance from two parallel buildings. Curious, she had made her way over and noticed a goal post - _what resembled a_ _goal post -_ at the end of the small field, where two young men were battling one-on-one with a ball.

Noticing a guy standing beside a wooden sign that read, "Score A Goal", with his arms crossed over his chest, she had decided to walk over. As she had stood beside him, who had been busy watching the match, she'd asked, "Hey, so we just have to play against some other person in the line to score a goal?"

The guy had looked at her and his expression had turned shocked as he stared at Karin. Seconds later, he had cleared his throat and uncrossed his arms as he answered, "Uh, not really. You have to compete against that guy in the yellow yukata with ripped sleeves. If you manage to score a goal playing against him, you win a prize." He had stared at Karin for another second before adding, "Uh, so you have a brother playing?"

The raven-haired girl had turned away from him as she began pacing to the end of the line, nonchalantly replying without looking back, "No, just me."

Now, as she stood waiting for her turn, she could feel the interested, curious, and even mocking glances at her from the boys in the line, including the guy standing by the sign. Same thing applied to their occasional whispers. Well, it didn't bother her.

With her arms crossed over her chest, she was more focused on watching the way the Yellow Yukata guy (as she decided to call him) played against the participants. He was undoubtedly a skilled player, definitely a challenge to all those who tried to score a goal against him. One by one, he shot them down.

But from what Karin could observe, a little smirk would be on his lips the whole time he'd be playing against them, as if he knew they couldn't beat him no matter what. Well, that was about to change. There were only two boys in front of her now.

Arms still crossed over her chest, Karin looked to the left, where she had a decent view of the pastry shop Yuzu was still in. She wasn't sure how, but she could _feel_ that her sister really was still in there; the reason why came to her mind, but she brushed it away.

Feeling satisfied, she casually looked to the right, and the sight of someone caught her eye.

Moon shining down and light given off by the festive lanterns on the nearby buildings, a tall, young man stood before a large house, speaking with someone at the doorway.

She could only see his profile. With the bits she already knew about Soul Society, she knew he must be way older than her, but judging from his youthful appearance, he was likely to be the _equivalent_ of her age.

After a few seconds, 'that someone' at the doorway leaned forward and gave him a hug, revealing themselves to be a short, elderly woman. He simply placed an arm around her in a tender way, and then calmly turned to his left, starting to head in the general direction of the dusk-haired girl.

Karin didn't know what had her riveted to the spot.

The fact this guy seemingly about her age had striking white hair, or the fact he was wearing a black kimono with a white haori.

And the latter only meant two things: he was a Soul Reaper, and a captain at that.

* * *

Kukaku took a swig of her drink and wiped her lips. "Well, I guess it's time."

She stood up and headed for the doorway, before turning around to face everyone and crossing her arms over her chest. "Ready for fireworks?"

Some people gasped (namely Keigo and Orihime), while the others just smiled or raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. Rukia parted her lips.

The green-eyed woman closed her eyes and grinned, turning her head a bit to the side. "My loyal assistants and I prepared y'all a show ye won't forget."

She looked up and opened her eyes, pointing her thumb over her shoulder. "Alright, let's go!"

As everyone started to file out the doorway, Tatsuki paused beside the older woman and asked, "What about Karin-chan and Yuzu-chan?"

Kukaku smiled and waved a hand dismissively. "Those two girls will easily see the fireworks from where they are. They'll know it's my doing."

Giving her a nod, Tatsuki followed the rest out the doorway, Kukaku taking out her pipe before doing the same.

[][][][][]

Rukia stood a small distance from the Shiba house, the night breeze running softly through her long, midnight hair.

She let out a placid sigh as she gazed at some trees a few meters away, their leaves waving softly in the breeze. Then, she looked up at the sky, illuminated by endless bright stars. The crescent moon was purely white.

Tonight was beautiful.

"Ichigo! Let's go over there with the guys!"

Rukia turned her attention to the commotion.

Keigo was running after Ichigo, who was casually walking in Rukia's direction. The goofy friend caught up to him and placed an arm around his shoulders as they walked. "Come on! The fireworks will look best if we go over to that hill! Let's tell Mizuiro and Chad and-"

The now annoyed Kurosaki closed his eyes, sneered, and without giving him a glance, reached over with his free right arm to punch Keigo in the face, who froze for a second before falling backwards on the grass.

"Okay. I got your answer..." Keigo said weakly, both hands on his slightly injured face.

Indifferently, Ichigo opened his eyes and kept on heading in Rukia's direction. His expression relaxed as he neared her, and his steps slowed as he stopped a few feet before her.

"Rukia... You gonna watch the fireworks from there?" he asked genuinely.

"Maybe. I thought a little distance wouldn't hurt," she responded.

Ichigo crossed his arms over his chest and looked away in a nonchalant manner. "...There's a hill somewhere behind the house. If you feel like watching from there."

Rukia considered it for a moment, averting her gaze to the grass. She then glanced in his direction and asked placidly, "Are you inviting me?"

Ichigo looked at her with slight surprise and slowly uncrossed his arms. "...Is..."

 _What?_

"...If...If you wanna take it that way. I don't... I didn't mean it that way..." he said, almost sounding as if at a loss.

Rukia stared at him with her indigo eyes.

Ichigo's lips parted.

 _But I was gonna accompany her anyway..._

The Kuchiki heiress then looked away and closed her eyes, letting out a small, amused huff through her nose, before looking up at him with a grin on her lips.

"Well, then..." The gentle breeze ruffled her midnight hair again as she started to walk past him. "Let's go."

Ichigo's eyes subconsciously followed her.

As if snapping out of a sort of daze, he suddenly blinked and did a small take. "Yeah..." He looked away from her contour and turned around, heading towards their destination.

As they were walking together, their arms in touching distance, Rukia felt the urge to glance up at the man beside her. The moonlight illuminated his profile rather nicely.

Moments of today started to resurface in her mind, and the unexpectedness of it made her look away. She didn't know why or what, but ever since Ichigo had stepped foot into the captains' meeting room today, something had stirred between them.

 _'What'_ was the real question...

Soon after, they arrived to a hill that stood a small distance behind the Shiba house. As they neared the top, Rukia's musing faded and she gazed down to see a sparkling lake, the moon and stars reflecting off its calm surface.

She looked up into the distance and let out a placid, inaudible sigh before murmuring, "It's beautiful."

"I guess," Ichigo responded, scratching the back of his head. "Kukaku-san and her- I mean, _our_ helpers are across with the pyrotechnic equipment set up. They'll be launching the fireworks from there." He put his hand down and gestured ahead with a lift of his chin.

"Aha..." Rukia nodded and noticed Kukaku and the twin men getting ready to start the fireworks display in the distance.

She couldn't help the small tug at the corner of her lips due to Ichigo's minor slip-ups. Kukaku's two loyal assistants, Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko, had been in the service of the Shiba Clan for many centuries. Only until recently, did their service extend to the new members of the Shiba family, and also offered to Isshin, who had been a former branch head of the clan. Ichigo must have still not been used to having people who were technically at his service. The same could be said for his sisters; for example, from what Rukia had taken notice of earlier today, Yuzu would join them with the cooking.

Moreover, Ichigo was still not used to saying Kukaku's name informally, unlike his sisters. She recalled what happened when Kukaku had returned from dropping off Karin and Yuzu at the festival.

 _She walked up to Ichigo, garnering his attention, and gave him a small smile. Her hand was on her waist. "You are turning into a fine older brother."_

 _Ichigo's lips parted slowly and gave her a look of surprise. "Kukaku-san..."_

 _The woman's smile grew. "So formal... We're family, remember?"_

 _Ichigo stared at her for a few more seconds before looking away with a small scowl, his cheeks flushing slightly. "I know.."_

Rukia let out a small smile at the memory. She was genuinely glad for how close the Shibas and the Kurosakis were becoming.

Speaking of which... She had been meaning to ask about the happenings of today. Ichigo had brought her to the Shiba home, where everyone she cared about in the Living World had decided to gather...for her.

Rukia turned her face to him and parted her lips, but she caught sight of a shooting light at the corner of her eye. Turning her face forward, her eyes followed the golden light rising into the sky and exploding into several tiny sparks. Its radiance reflected in her eyes.

Soon after, a red firework followed, exploding in the same entrancing way. She couldn't take her eyes off them, because as more fireworks rose, brilliant mixes of different colors and the forming of shapes burst in the night sky.

Meanwhile, the Kurosaki lifted a corner of his lips. The first time he had seen Kukaku's fireworks was when his father had brought his sisters to meet the Shibas. It had been the best fireworks show he had ever seen. Kukaku really outdid herself this time, though; she was right when she proclaimed herself as the best pyrotechnic around when they first met.

He glanced at Rukia. She was entranced by the fireworks, and her lips were parted in a small smile of wonder. Her face was in a child-like daze. The breeze picked up again, ruffling the woman's long, midnight hair.

He didn't realize he had been staring at her until her hair settled back in place. Eyes widening slightly, Ichigo looked away, and felt a small bead of sweat at his temple.

What was this? He didn't know what had bitten him. He had been having strange thoughts and feeling weird around Rukia all day. It had never been like this.

 _Maybe 'cause I haven't seen her in a few years._ He decided to go with that, though the bead of sweat didn't leave his temple.

The fireworks show continued for a little while longer until it ended with a brilliant display in green of the words, ' _Made by Kukaku Shiba'_ above the shape of said woman's smirking face.

A few moments passed until the glow of the moon and stars retook reign of the night sky. A serene silence blanketed over the two people.

"Ichigo."

Said young man turned his eyes to the woman beside him. She was gazing at the lake rather tenderly.

"...Thank you," she murmured. "I'm not sure why you did all this for me...but thanks. I am glad everyone is here."

Ichigo parted his lips, before slowly looking away and crossing his arms over his chest. "...It wasn't me. When Renji told you earlier that he sent me a Hell Butterfly two weeks ago, that's when everyone found out. That's what I forgot about - to tell them about it."

He turned his face to her and added with a small scowl, "Not your promotion, like Renji annoyingly claimed."

Rukia at this point was looking at him. She could almost see the hope in Ichigo's eyes that she'd believe him.

The Kurosaki then looked at the grass below him. "I was staying at my house for a few days. When I got the message, my dad got excited and kicked me in the shin for not telling him sooner, Keigo and Mizuro happened to be visiting... And, well, you can guess what happened. They brought themselves, Soul Tickets and all."

Rukia turned her gaze to the softly swaying grass. She let out a small breath through her nose and grinned slightly, thinking that was just like him. Nonetheless, she was grateful.

"Ichigo...I'm..." she uttered quietly. She looked up at him as he looked at her simultaneously. She gave him a genuine smile. "I'm glad you came."

Staring at her for a few seconds, a corner of the young man's lips hinted at a grin. "Yeah."

The Kuchiki heiress couldn't help but think that...things were only going to get better from here.

Ichigo deep down thought the same thing. He had felt for a while now that everything was going to be alright. Today had just added to that soothing thought. Alright it was, and it would be - he just didn't know in what way.

The two gazed at each other for an endless, peaceful moment, when another blaze of fireworks radiated in the sky.

It was a beautiful mix of orange and indigo.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!**

 **After how horrendous the ending of Bleach was, I decided to write an ending of sorts that would better suit the story. This took me over a year to write (yup...), so even now I'm not completely satisfied with it, but I decided I should just upload it. Thanks again for reading and I hope this somehow gives a _sort of_ satisfaction to those who did not like the ending.**

 **For anyone who's interested, a one-shot of the _full_ HitsuKarin scene is in the works. Though, I'm not sure when that will be up.**


End file.
